Unstable Windows 10 Internet Connection

L

LesM1

Bit poster
I am using a MAcBook Pro running macOS Sierra version 10.12.6 with Parallels 13 and Windows 10. All are up-to-date. I am connected to Xfinity using their Cable Modem that also provides Wireless Gateway. I have been having connection problems since September 2017. Since I primarily use the Windows side, I notice the connection problem on the Windows side where the connection will periodically drop. A yellow triangle appears in the lower right corner over the image of the display. When I right click and do Troubleshoot Problem, it checks for errors and will reset the Ethernet 4 Adapter which will then restore the Internet connection. Most of the time, when I switch to the Mac side, I can get to the Internet using Safari so it has connection. But, there are a few times when I am quick enough in switching that the Mac side also does not have connection.
It has been suggested that there is a problem either with my computer or with the Parallels VM that is detecting the disconnect on the Windows side.
Xfinity has replaced the Xfinity Cable Modem 3 times and the wire from the backyard pole to my house has been replaced.
My opinion is that the intermittent Line problems are typically very short so on the Mac side, the Internet quickly drops and then restores itself. This is why I don't catch the Mac side down because by the time that I switch from the Windows side to the Mac side to check it, the connection is up. However, on the Windows side, its Internet connection is through the Mac. So, when the signal drops or becomes unstable, Windows senses the drop and detects the lost connection. It does not have the ability to auto recover.
Is there some problem with the Parallels VM that is contributing to this problem?
Is there a problem with the Mac adapter? It is Intel PRO/100 MT Network Connection and driver is up-to-date.
Are there some settings in Parallels that I can change to correct this problem?
Are there some settings on the Mac this might need to be changed?

The diagnostic reports from the Windows Troubleshooting Problem tool are usually that it detected that the default gateway is not available.
A few times it says that both the connection between the Modem and the Internet is broken and that the default gateway is not available.
A very few times the report detects an invalid IP Configuration.

I would appreciate any suggestions on what might be wrong and what to do about this.
Thank you.
 
Hi FilepG1,
Well, in multiple conversations with Xfinity Tech Support, they were able to locate a problem with one of their Nodes in the neighborhood that is not transmitting consistent signals and strength. They did some repairs which improved the dropping quite a lot to maybe 5 per day. But, on 12/24/2017, drops again were happening on the Windows side every 15-20 minutes. I called Tech Support and they again found a Node problem. The Tech said that the signal is actually pretty good per what they expect, but that the Windows side must be very sensitive to the ripples and packet drops.
Yesterday and this morning, drops were again pretty bad. I ended up looking at my Windows Event Viewer and found more details on the errors that it is seeing. One message in particular is: "The network interface "Intel(R) PRO/1000 MT Network Connection has begun resetting. There will be a momentary disruption in network connectivity while the hardware resets.".

I am not sure exactly what this means and why it is happening, but this error appears before some of the other error messages. So, I looked it up and found a Parallels Knowledge Base question: http://kb.parallels.com/123501
Network Interface is resetting constantly in Windows 10 virtual machine
The article suggests shutting down the Virtual Machine and then changing the Virtual Machine Settings configuration for Hardware-->Network.
Click on Advanced Settings and change the NIC Type from Intel(R) PRO/1000 MT to Intel® Gigabit CT (82574L).
I made this change late this morning and I have been connected so far with no drops for 6 hours.
I will continue to monitor this situation. Maybe it was the NIC Type and its driver that was too sensitive to fluctuations in the Internet signal?
Also, in the Windows Device Manager, I changed the setting for the Network Adapter Intel® Gigabit CT (82574L) to not shut it off to conserve power. I don't know if this setting makes a difference, but I figured if it is always on that it would not hurt.
You might want to make this same change and see if it helps.
Hope that you find a solution too.
 
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